Catching Feelings
by Eve Garden
Summary: Draco is having an internal battle between the lifestyle and expectations he's grown up with and his heart. Which one will win?


" When will father finally understand that I am nothing like him?" Draco Malfoy thought as he strode along the Quidditch Pitch. The pitch was where he liked to think, to decipher his thoughts. Coming here ever since his first year at Hogwarts, Draco wondered what it would be like to be.dare he even think it? -Loved. He scoffed aloud. If Lucius Malfoy heard his son, he'd be ashamed. "Malfoys don't need love," he'd say. " Emotion is another word for weakness."  
"Screw father," Draco thought violently, his eyebrows knitting at the thought. Suddenly, a flash of gold and scarlet caught his eye. Draco looked and saw a pretty Gryffindor girl. "What's her name again?" he asked himself. "Oh yeah-Aselin."  
  
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Aselin watched as Draco walked across the Quidditch Pitch. She could see the pure silver on the fastenings on his cloak, and the expensive shine on his shoes.  
Suddenly, he stopped, his silver-blonde hair blowing in the wind. Without warning, he looked up, straight at Aselin. His eyes were gray, with a blue tint. But she also saw something else in his eyes-hurt. As quickly as he saw her, Draco turned and walked away, his strides even bigger than before.  
  
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"Her eyes-they're so green," Draco thought as he strode away. "But they also have flecks of hazel.What am I thinking!? She's a Gryffindor. I would be bringing shame upon the Malfoy name if I even thought about dating her." Deaco told himself. "Too bad I've already thought about it."  
  
Later that evening in the Great Hall, Aselin ate and joked with Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione, not knowing she was being watched by a pair of steely blue-gray eyes. Ron said something funny, and as she hit him lightly on the shoulder, Draco felt something in his heart clench. But he didn't have a heart-or so he told everyone. Pushing it out of his mind, Draco glanced over at Pansy, who was chattering away at how bushy Hermione's hair was. "She looks like a total chipmunk!!" she screeched to the table of Slytherins. "You're one to talk," Draco thought. But his thoughts were drowned out by the laughter of his fellow Slytherins. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&&&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Aselin looked over at the Slytherin table as they laughed. "And her teeth! They looked HIDEOUS before she had the nurse shrink them," Pansy proclaimed to more bouts of laughter. Hermione overheard, and suddenly looked slightly hurt. It's okay, Hermione, she looks like my dog, Boomer," Aselin comforted. "Yeah, Hermione-there's a reason why I like yo-I mean, she's uglier than you any day," Ron covered. Luckily, Hermione didn't catch Ron's mistake. Aselin glared over at the Slytherin table when she realized that one person wasn't laughing. Draco. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&&&&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next day, Aselin rushed from her dormitory to Transfiguration. She had overslept, wolfed down breakfast (luckily no one was there to see it), and ran a comb blindly through her shiny dark hair. Glancing at a mirror Hermione had cleverly stuck up, Aselin caught a glimpse of her caramel skin, brown hair and green eyes that defied all black stereotypes. Grabbing her knapsack, Aselin was out the door.  
*** "I'm late, ooh no, I'm LATE!!" Aselin thought. She rounded a corner, bumping into a tall boy. Cursing, she stooped down to pick up her books as the boy bent down to help her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&&&&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Draco looked coldly down at the lifeform who bumped into him. Why didn't she watch where she was going? But with a jolt, he realized this was that Gryffindor, Aselin. Choking on his words, Draco silently bent down to help her with her spilled books. "Thanks," she muttered, and looked up at him. He felt like a shock had gone through him-like the Cruciatus curse, only more pleasant. A LOT more pleasant, actually. "Oh-er-no problem, just er-be more careful where you're going, okay? He tried to sneer, but somehow the message didn't get to his lips and they smiled instead. Draco mentally kicked himself. "Why in bloody HELL am I smiling???" he thought. Amazingly, Aselin smiled back. "Sure-I'll try." And walked off down the hallway. Unconsciously, Draco wondered why in the world robes were necessary-all they did was cover up the butt.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&&&&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aselin smiled as she reached the door of McGonagall's classroom. "He isn't bad-looking," she thought. With a jolt, she noticed something. His touch was warm. 


End file.
